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SEDAT project description

Overview

The aim of the SEDAT project is to develop a new approach to the engineering analysis of the spacecraft charged-particle environment. This project will assemble a database containing a large and comprehensive set of data about that environment as measured in-situ by a number of space plasma missions. Thus the user will be able to select a set of space environment data appropriate to the engineering problem under study. The project will also develop a set of software tools, which can operate on the data retrieved from the SEDAT database. These tools will allow the user to carry out a wide range of engineering analyses.

This approach differs from traditional space environment engineering studies. In the latter the space environment is characterised by a model that is a synthesis of previous observations. However, in SEDAT the environment is characterised directly by the observations. This approach offers several advantages to the engineering analyst:

  1. The data used in the study can be tailored more precisely to the engineering problem under study. The analysis is not constrained by selection effects within the model used.
  2. Similarly the analyst may tailor the processing of the data to the problem under study. The analysis is not constrained by binning or other processing effects that were used to generate the model.
  3. New data are readily incorporated in the database and thus made available for engineering analyses. The traditional approach would require the production, validation and dissemination of an updated model, which is a far more time-consuming activity.

SEDAT implementation

The implementation of SEDAT is divided into three main parts:
  1. Construction of the SEDAT database
  2. Production of the analysis tools to be used in conjunction with the SEDAT database
  3. Execution of four small exercises, using the SEDAT database and tools, to demonstrate that these functions operate correctly.
To support this approach, the requirements are specified in a number of separate documents:
  1. The user requirements (RAL-SED-UR-0001) for the database sub-system,
  2. The user requirements (RAL-SED-UR-0002) for the tools sub-system,
  3. A single software specification (RAL-SED-SS-0001) covering the two sub-systems and the interfaces between them. The use of a single document ensures the integrated operation of the database and tools, which was identified as an essential attribute during the preparation of the SEDAT user requirements.
  4. A series of four technical notes specifying procedures and resources for the four demonstrations of the SEDAT system:
At the time of writing (12 Jan 2000) the two user requirements documents and the software specification document have been completed and formally agreed between ESA and CCLRC. Most of the SEDAT infrastructure has been put in place and we are moving towards the first of the four demonstrations of SEDAT.

Statement of Work

The formal ESA Statement of Work for this contract can be downloaded (PDF file).

STFC[STFC]    Space Science and Technology Department[SSTD]

$Date: 2000/01/12 11:26:10 Mike Hapgood